The Eastern Indigo Snake is the largest species of snake native to North America. It is found throughout the Southeastern states of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Their diet consists of anything small enough for them to overpower and includes frogs, lizards, mammals, birds, eggs, and other snakes. Eastern Indigo snakes are common occupants of gopher tortoise burrows, and these burrows are vital to the northern populations for winter survival.

DISMO Map

As you can see, the Eastern Indigo Snake has the largest populations in central Florida and Southern Georgia.

Species Distribution Model


The species distribution map created using worldclim environmental data and RGBIF occurrence data is a good start at mapping hte distribution of eastern indigo snakes, however it misses several clusters of occurrence data in south Florida, central Florida, and northern Georgia.

Attempting to Improve Accuracy by Removing Variables


I attempted to improve the distribution map by excluding variables I thought might be unimportant. After playing around with several different versions, this was what I considered to be the best model. As you can see, it still misses many points, however it does a better job of encompassing the clusters in Georgia and south Florida.

Snake